Charles m



o. M. RYDER. GAS PRODUCER.

(No Model.)

PatentedA Aug'. 2.5, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

CHARLES M. RYDER, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO'THE SMITH da SAYRE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

GAS-PRODUCER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,378, dated August 25, 1891.

v Application filed December 12, 1887. Serial No. 257,581. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern,.- and closes the lower end of. the hopper, and Beit known that I, CHARLES M. RYDER, rethus an even distribution of the fuel upon siding at New York, in the county of New the re is effected. This valve normally cuts York and State of New York, have invented off connection between the producer-chamber 55 5 certain new and useful Improvements in Gasand the hopper and is normally closed. It is Producers; and I do declare the following to provided with a stem rising vertically int-o. be a full, clear, and exact description of the the hopper and connected at its upper end Same, reference being had to the accompanywith an arm M, pivoted to the hopper and ing drawings, which form a part of this .specifurnished with a counterweighted manual N. 6o IO ication. The bell-valve is operated by this manual. My invention relates to an improvementin A check-chain O, connecting the valve and gas-producers, the object being to furnish an the plate E, is provided for preventing the apparatus adapted to effect a general econvalve from dropping into the fire in case it omy of fuel, labor, construction, and repair becomes detached from its supporting-con- 6r: I 5 over existing apparatus of its class. nections.

Vith these ends in View myinvention con- An annular draft-chambersurrounding the sists in certain details of construction and lower end of the hopper is formed by au ancombinat-ions of parts', as will be hereinafter nular flange I), extending upward from the described, and pointed out in the claims. plate E, and by a removable ring Q, supported 7o 2o In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is upon the upper edge of the said flange and a broken plan view of a gas-producer emuponaledge R,encirclingthe contracted lower bodying my invention. Fig.2 isa view therepart K of the hopper, the edges in contact of in vertical section on the line a l) of Fig. being beveled to form a tight joint. The said l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged View in vertical secring which closes the upper end of the draft- 75 25 tion on the line c d of Fig. l of one of the chamber is provided, as herein shown, with chambered poking-heads and the adjacent eight air-inlets S, arranged in pairs of two portion of the annular draft-chamber with inlets at equidistant points around it. The which it is connected; and Fig. l is a deinlet of air through the said inlets is gaged tached plan view of the ring for closing the and controlled by a rotatable cover T, sup- 8o 3o upper end of the said draft-chamber. ported npon` the ring Q, having openings U As herein shown, my improved gas-procorresponding in number and arrangement ducer includes a producer-chamber A, a gasto the air-inlets S formed in it and provided conduit B, a grate C, an ash-pit D, and oth'er with four equidistant arms V, through which adjuncts to be duly described. The upper it is rotated to open, close, and graduate the S5 3 5 end of the said producer-chamber A is closed said inlets and which form couplers, as will by a circular plate E, forming a portion of be described hereinafter. Four short pipes the working-door of the apparatus and hav- WV, located at equidistant points in the face ing a central opening F, over which an upof the upright flange P, respectively extend right hopper is secured. The said hopper is to as many chambered poking-heads X, lo- 9o 4o provided with a flaring flange or mouth-piece cated over poking-holes Y, formed in the plate H, forming a self-cleaning seat for the bell- E aforesaid, and hence in the top of the proshaped hopper-lid I, the upper portion of the dimer-chamber. Each of the said pokinghopper being contracted, as at J, to meet the heads has an air-opening Z, having vertical lower end of the said flange, capacity in the walls forming a vertical valve-seat, and a 95 45 hopper being thus secured without unduly smaller gas-opening A', located below the enlarging its mouth; also, by contracting the said air-opening, leading into the producerhopper, as described, surfaces are secured for chamber through the poking-hole occupied deiiecting rising gases into the hopper -lid by the head and having inclined walls formaforesaid. The lower end of the hopper is ing a horizontal valve-seat. The two openroo 5o also contracted, as at K, to deflect the fuel ings of each head are closed by a suitable upon the bell-valve L,which opens downward cylindrical plug B', having a slightly tapering central portion C co-operating with the walls of the air-opening and a squared lower end D' co-operating with the inclined walls of the gas-opening. Under this construction the gas-opening is always closed tightly by the plug when the same is in position in the head and wear compensated for as well as vertical displacement of the plug, owing to the accumulation of foreign matter upon the ro horizontal valve-seat. Vhen the plug is removed the openings in the head afford access to the lire by a poker. The arms V aforesaid normally extend over the said plugs, and when they are moved aside for theI removal r 5 of the same the rotatable cover T, of which they are a part, is moved and closes the airinlets, so that the plugs cannot be removed without shifting the draft from the air-inlets to the heads, as will be hereinafter more 2o fully described. Anuprightsleeve E', formed integral with the hopper, receives a pipe F', extended at its lower end into the said draft-chamber and curved at its upper end to reach over the mouth of the hopper, the lid I whereof it carries. A chain G' or its equivalent, attached to the curved end of the said pipe, is provided for raising and lowering it in removing and replacing the hopper-lid in line with the mouth of the 3o hopper. All gases collected by the lid when on its seat or lifted above the same are drawn through this pipe and delivered into the said draft-chamber. A branch pipe Il', leading from the draft-chamber down over the producer, connects with the upper end of the steam-j et blower l', the lower end of which connects with a pipe J', terminating underneath the grate. The steam-j et pipe K of the said blower is connected with a steam-supply 4o pipeL', leading into a steam-generator M', the draft-line XV whereof is connected at its lower end by a pipe X with the branch H', whereby the waste products of combustion may be exhausted into the lower end of the producer by closing the upper end of the lue by a cap Y', which is removed when the steamgenerator is operated by a fire on its own grate P', as will be done in starting the apparatus.

Having now described my improved apparatus in detail,l will set forth the mode of its operation. The producer having been started in the production of gas and steam being supplied to the j et-blower, the steam operates 5 5 to exhaust atmospheric air into the draftchamber through the air-inlets S in the ring Q thereof, the air passing thence through the branch pipe H', through the blower l', and through the pipe J into the lower end of the 6o producer and below the grate thereof. Mingled with the air thus introduced into the producer will be more or less gas collected in the draft-chamber from the chambered poking heads and from the hopper. The air and gas so introduced into the producer is heated in the said chamber and pipes on its way thereto andelfects an economy of fuel in the apparatus. A part of its heat it absorbs from the working-floor of the producer-chamber, which is thus cooled to the great convenience of the inen who work upon the same. It will thus be seen that in the ordinary operation of the apparatus the steam-jet blower exhausts air and escaping gas from the top of the producer-chamber and forces it under pressure into the lower end of the producer. When now it becomes necessary to introduce more fuel into the producer-chamber, the lid of the hopper is lifted, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and thehopper is filled with coal, after which the nd is dropped back again upon its flaring seat. lf any gas escapes into the hopper while the same is being filled it is drawn into the lid and thence transferred into the draft-chamber with which the lid is in exhaust connection. The hopper having been filled, the bellvalve L is dropped, as indicated .by broken lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, by lifting the counterweighted manual N, and the fuel. discharged into the producer-chainber being evenly distributed upon the fire. As long as the bell-valve is open or away from the seat formed for it bythe lower end of. the hopper, large volumes of gas will rise into the hopper and be exhausted therefrom through the hopper-lid into the draft-chamber, and thence be returned into the lower end of the producer and thence into the producer-chamber, what gas remains in the hopper after the bell-valve is closed being eX- hausted back into the producer before the lid of the hopper is opened again, so thatnno gas escapes from the hopper to be lost. The fuel having been evenly distributed over the fire will not require much if any poking, except it be of a nature requiring it by reason of coking. Then it is desired to poke theV fire, the arms V of the rotatable cover T must be lirst got out of the way, for access to the plugs B', by rotating the said cover, whereby the airinlets S in the ring Q are closed. The plugs being now successively removed, the air will be drawn through the air-openings of the poking-heads, passing thence into the short pipes XV and thence to the draft-chamber. lt will thus be seen that before the poking-holes are opened the air-supply must be cut off from the inlets ordinarily admitting air to the producer, so as to form astrong draft through the poking-holes as soon as they are opened. As soon as a plug is removed from a pokinghead a strong current of air will at once i'iow thereiiito. This inflowing current of air will be met by a stream of gas rising under pressure from the producer-chamber through the gas-opening of the head; but the air-current, beinglarger and stronger, in part repulses the gas-current,butcarries thegasthatdoes escape through the said gas-opening along with it, and, commingled, they are exhausted through the pipe YV of the head into the draft-chamber. It will be understood that only one plug is removed at a time, although all of the air-in- IOO IIO

l steam-generator.

lets are simultaneously closed for the purpose, whereby the entire exhaust power of the furnace is thrown upon one poking-head, through which a powerful current is therefore established. After the fire has been poked the plug is replaced and the air-inlets are thrown open again by rotating the cover T, the arms V of which are thereby brought over the plugs, so that they cannot be removed without first rotating the cover again and closing the air-inlets. This coupling, as it were, of the chambered poking-heads and air-inlets makes it impossible to remove a plug without throwing the entire draft of the producer upon the hole which it has exposed. After the production of gas has been begun a portion of it may, if desired, be used for generating the steam employed by the steamjet blower. In this case air and gas are burned in the combustion-chamber of the The waste gases resulting from this combustion are returned to the producer. These gases and the heat retained by them are thus utilized with obvious economy.

During the operation of the producer the amount of air supplied thereto may be increased or diminished by rotating the cover T so as to expose more or less of the air-inlets. The amount of steam supplied to the producer may also be controlled by manipulating the valve of the steam -supply pipe. By providing for independently regulating the relative volumes of air and steam supplied to the producer the specific composition of the gas and the temperature of the apparatus are readily controlled.

It is obvious that some changes in the construction and arrangement of parts from what is herein shown maybe made. I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A gas-prod ucer having a chambered poking-head normally closed by a plug and located over a poking-hole formed in the top of its producer-chamber, and an exhaust connection between the said head and the lower end of the producer, whereby the gas escaping through the poking hole is recovered, substantially as described.

2. vA gas-producer having a chambered poking-head normally closed by a plug and located over a poking-hole formed in the top of the producer-ch amber, a draft-chamber located upon the top of the said producer-chainber, draft connection between the said pokinghead and draft chamber, and means adapted to exhaust the contents of the draftchamber into the lower end of the producer, whereby gas escaping from the poking-hole is recovered.

3. A gas-producer having poking-holes and air-inlets, plugs for the said holes, anda movable cover for the inlets, constructed to normally expose the said inlets and extend over the plugs when the saine are in place, substantially as described, and whereby the movement of the cover preparatory to taking out the plugs closes the air-inlets.

l. A gas-producer having a hopper located upon the top of its prodiicer-chainber, a vertically-movable lid for the hopper, and extensible exhaust connection through the said lid between the upper end of the hopperand the lower end of the producer, substantially as set forth.

5. A gasproducer having a hopper located upon the top of its producer-ch amber, a draftchamber surrounding the lower end of the hopper, a vertically-movable lid for the hopper, an extensible conduit between the said lid and draft-chamber, and a conduit between the draft-chamber and the lower end of the producer, substantially as described.

6. A gas-producer having the top of its prodimer-chamber constructedwith pokin g-holes, a hopper located upon the top of the said chamber, a draft-chamber surrounding the lower end of the said hopper and provided with air-inlets, chambered poking-heads located in the said poking-holes, pipes connecting each of the said heads with the said draft` chamber, a pipe between the said draft-chamber and the producer, and means to create an exhaust-current through the heads, pipes, and draft-chamber into the producer, substantially as described.

7. A gas-producer having a draft-chamber located upon the top of its producer-chamber and provided with air-inlets, chambered poking-heads located over poking-holes formed in the top of the said producer-chamber, draft connections between the said draft-chamber and poking-heads, and aperforated rotatable cover located upon the said draft-chamber and adapted to gage the amount of air pass-- ing through the air-inlets therein and provided with arms arranged to extend over the poking-heads when the air-inlets are open and to prevent access to the said heads without first rotating the cover and closing the airinlets, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ci-iAs. M. RYDER.'

Witnesses:

C. L. SWAN, J r., OHAs. B. SHUMWAY.

IOC 

